www.gavi.org

Ebola outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Pre-Board Meeting, June 5th, 2018

Reach every child

Pre-Board meeting

5 June 2018

Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Equateur, DRC

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• May, 8th 2018 declared outbreak in Equateur

Province

• population approx 2.5 m over 100,000

km2

• remote area, limited communication &

poor transport infrastructure

• 9th DRC outbreak in last four decades

• Mbandaka, province capital, important port

city, 0.5-1.5 million inhabitants

Pre-Board meeting

5 June 2018

Epidemiological situation

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• May 8th

• 2 confirmed cases

• June 3rd

• 56 cases, 37 confirmed, 25 deaths

• 3 districts, with most cases in rural areas

• 2 rural: Bikoro (26), Iboko (25)

• 1 urban: Wangata in Mbandaka (5)

Overall: stability in number of cases over the last week (May 24-30)

Pre-Board meeting

5 June 2018

National, local authorities & partners moved quickly to respond

• Day 0: Ebola outbreak announcement

• Day 1: Rapid response teams deployed to

outbreak area

• Day 3: National response plan includes

vaccination

• Day 8: Vaccines in country ; mobile field

laboratory operational in Bikoro

• Day 12: Cold chain functional in Mbandaka

• Day 13: Vaccination launch

• Implementation of national response plan

supported by international partners

• Technical coordination of partners by WHO

RESPONSE PILLARS

surveillance, active case finding

and follow-up

biosecurity measures in health

facilities and communities

safe burials

medical management of patients

and suspected cases

diagnostics

psychosocial care

communication and social

mobilization

NEW

Communication on vaccination

vaccination of groups at risk

Pre-Board meeting

5 June 2018

Response from the Alliance

• Doses available due to agreement between Gavi & Merck (developer

of rVSV-ZEBOV)

• Agreement ensures pre-licensure, emergency-use stockpile of

300,000 investigational doses in event of outbreak

• Immediate funding up to US$1m to support operational costs of

vaccination activities

• Gavi HSS support to DRC/Equateur for supervision to contribute to

overall Ebola outbreak response plan; reallocation of PEF TCA funds

for vaccination communication and outreach with UNICEF

1,199 vaccinated by June 3rd

• Reactive vaccination using targeted (Health

Care Workers) & ring strategy

Mbandaka started May 21

Bikoro & Iboko started May 28

• Clinical protocol (vaccine not listed on EUAL):

MoH with support from WHO and MSF

• Challenging cold chain: Storage -80°C in

Kinshasa & Mbandaka; Arktek storage devices

used for vaccine transport to Iboko and Bikoro

Pre-Board meeting

5 June 2018

Main challenges

• Monitor and control outbreak spread dynamic

• Contact monitoring in remote areas

• Point of Entry surveillance

• Isolation of cases, quarantine

• Community information and buy-in

• Acceptability of hygiene measures, safe burials

• Targeted sensitization (gatherings, door to door)

• Community workers locally trained with local language skills

• Vaccination: not a mass campaign, nor a ‘silver bullet’

• The vaccines will not end the outbreak by themselves

• They are part of a far larger national and international effort

• However, their use as an integral part of the response marks a historic first

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